“It will also cover material costs such as the equipment that we need for the tests we need to run in the lab.”

A protein called Herv-K has become a part of our DNA through evolution. It’s a type of viral protein that lies dormant in healthy cells, but in cancerous cells it is activated and accelerates the progression of the disease.

Dr Glynn said: “We take samples of tumours and measure the level of this protein. When it is identified there is a higher risk of not responding and it’s a way of determining a poor prognosis.”

She continued: “We are trying to understand what it is doing to cancerous cells and this is important if we are ever to develop treatment against it.”

This protein is active in two thirds of breast cancers and creates other proteins that have been linked to the spread of cancer, which is known as metastasis.

Dr Glynn said: “When it starts to spread beyond the breast into organs it is very seriously. It particularly effects a patient’s survival if it spreads to the liver or the lungs.”

Around 2,800 women in the Republic of Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and nearly 700 women in the country sadly die from the disease each year.

“We are working with other global partners, because we have to be sure that the treatment we are working on is applicable to patients around the world and not just patients here.”

Dr Glynn is no stranger to America have trained at the prestigious National Cancer Institute in Washington.

A spokesperson for Breast Cancer Now has expressed her support for this potentially life-saving research.

Research Communications Officer Rachel Leahy said: "Dr Glynn’s research will enhance our understanding of the biological factors that contribute to breast cancer progression and may enable new drugs to be developed to target the HERV-K proteins.